Survey the four quarterbacks remaining in the NFL playoffs, and it’d be easy to conclude they’re like three aces and, oh, a four of hearts. If this quartet were a boy band, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford would be the ones who can play their own instruments; Jimmy Garoppolo would be the one who’s in the band just to look good.
That’s what happens when Burrow, Mahomes and Stafford are carved into their teams’ starting lineups, while Garoppolo’s name is written in faint pencil. The other three are franchise cornerstones; Garoppolo’s time in San Francisco might be measurable in days.